Innovative program at Perkins School for the Blind provides training and coaching to jumpstart careers for blind and visually impaired young adults. In a recent webinar, three customer service professionals offer firsthand career advice to trainees.
Olga Borovaya has been a university researcher since 1998, which is when she started losing her eyesight. An expert in Sephardic Studies and Ladino Culture, she was always looking for resources and devices that would make her work possible despite her visual impairment, but most of the time she relied on research assistants. Fortunately, she discovered Bookshare and enjoys immediate access to scholarly texts in accessible formats.
To qualify for job opportunities, people with visual impairments need education and skills, but the lack of accessible books and learning materials creates an obstacle. The Bookshare India team is on a mission to bring digital books, training, and devices to blind students.
St. Matthew’s Publishing launches partnership with Bookshare to offer digital books on secure, global platform and alleviate book famine for people with print disabilities in the Philippines.
Natalie Shaheen, EdD, an assistant professor of special education at Illinois State University, is a blind academic, teacher of future educators, and passionate advocate for accessible educational materials.
